Silver Cross Hospital earns 15 As in a row for patient safety

The Leapfrog Group recently gave Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox its 15th straight A for patient safety.

Only seven hospitals in Illinois and 62 across the U.S. have earned straight As 15 times in a row, according to Silver Cross.

“I’m so proud of our entire Silver Cross family for always putting safety first,” Ruth Colby, president and chief executive officer at Silver Cross, said in a news release. “‘Speak up for Patient Safety,’ the first of our ‘7 Behaviors’ at Silver Cross, sets the standard and expectation for every employee, physician and volunteer. Earning our 15th Straight A is a testament to their dedication and commitment, and learning that we achieved this national distinction during National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week makes it even more special.”

Morris Hospital also received an A for the spring of 2022, according to The Leapfrog Group.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent watchdog organization that collects, analyzes and disseminates data on patient safety so consumers and purchasers of health care can make better decisions, such as where to seek their medical care, according to the Leapfrog Group’s website.

According to the Leapfrog website, 1 in 25 hospital patients develop an infection, more than 1,000 hospital patients will die due to a “preventable hospital error” and upwards of 200,000 patients will die each year from “hospital errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.”

If you’re a Medicare patient being admitted to the hospital, you have a 1 in 4 chance of injury, harm or death, according to the Leapfrog Group.

“The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm,” according to a Silver Cross news release. “The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.”

The Leapfrog Group also offers suggestions to patients to help them stay safe in the hospital and how to talk to doctors about safety.

“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Silver Cross Hospital for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in the release. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”

To see scores of other hospitals in your area and across the U.S., visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and search by city/state, zip code, state or hospital name.